To Francis Darwin? [1879–80?]
Summary
Discusses A. B. Frank’s views [Beiträge zur Pflanzenphysiologie (1868)] on how plants position themselves; differences and similarities compared with their own conclusions.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Francis Darwin |
Date: | [1879–80?] |
Classmark: | DAR LIB 2003/2004 (in box with A. B. Frank, Beiträge zur Pflanzenphysiologie, 1868, and Die natürliche wagerechte Richtung von Pflanzentheilen, 1870) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11816 |
To Francis Darwin [4 February – 8 March 1879]
Summary
Requests some seeds.
Believes the leaves of Phyllanthus sleep like those of Cassia.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Francis Darwin |
Date: | [4 Feb – 8 Mar 1879] |
Classmark: | DAR 211: 49 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11815 |
Matches: 6 hits
- … of Phyllanthus niruri and Medicago maculata from Kew in his letter of 24 March 1879 . …
- … To Francis Darwin [4 February – 8 March 1879] …
- … DAR 211: 49 Charles Robert Darwin unstated [4 Feb – 8 Mar 1879] Francis Darwin …
- … Francis left for Algiers on 4 February 1879 ( Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242)) and departed …
- … from Algiers on 8 March ( letter from G. H. Darwin, 3 March 1879 ). See also letter from …
- … Francis Darwin, [ c. 25 February 1879] . Wilhelm Pfeffer discussed Phyllanthus niruri ( …
To the Darwin children 21 February 1879
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Elizabeth (Bessy, Lizzy) Darwin; Francis Darwin; George Howard Darwin; Horace Darwin; Leonard Darwin; William Erasmus Darwin; Henrietta Emma Darwin; Henrietta Emma Litchfield |
Date: | 21 Feb 1879 |
Classmark: | DAR 210.6: 153 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11896 |
Matches: 5 hits
- … To the Darwin children 21 February 1879 …
- … 210.6: 153 Charles Robert Darwin Down 21 Feb 1879 Elizabeth (Bessy, Lizzy) Darwin Francis …
- … Francis Darwin were in Algiers; see letter from Francis Darwin, [ c. 25 February 1879]. …
- … Feb 21 1879 Circular M r Norman a year or two ago told me that he divided the overplus of …
- … in CD’s Investment Book (Down House MS) for 1879, p. 130, reads ‘Feb. Lancaster & Carlisle …
To Francis Darwin 21 February [1879]
Summary
Is increasing FD’s allowance.
Has begun his chapter on sleep of plants [for Movement in plants].
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Francis Darwin |
Date: | 21 Feb [1879] |
Classmark: | DAR 211: 50 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11899 |
Matches: 6 hits
- … To Francis Darwin 21 February [1879] …
- … DAR 211: 50 Charles Robert Darwin Down 21 Feb [1879] Francis Darwin …
- … not been found, but for CD’s reply, see the letter to Henry Woodward, 13 February [1879] . …
- … letter to the Darwin children, 21 February 1879 . Francis was working as CD’s secretary …
- … letter to the Darwin children, 21 February 1879 , in which CD explained his plan to divide …
- … from Francis Darwin, [ c. 25 February 1879] ). CD was writing up chapters 6 and 7 of …
To Francis Darwin [before 25 February 1879]
Summary
CD cannot find his pincers and other tools for microscopical dissection. Does FD know where he should look?
Hopes FD will feel better after "so complete a change" [trip to North Africa].
Sends his love to George.
Bernard gets more charming every day.
CD has been put on a committee for a memorial fund for W. K. Clifford.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Francis Darwin |
Date: | [before 25 Feb 1879] |
Classmark: | DAR 271.4: 12 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11883A |
Matches: 6 hits
- … To Francis Darwin [before 25 February 1879] …
- … DAR 271.4: 12 Charles Robert Darwin [before 25 Feb 1879] Francis Darwin …
- … a partial list of whose members appeared in Nature , 13 February 1879, pp. 349–50. …
- … from Francis Darwin, [ c. 25 February 1879] . CD misspelt ‘bradawl’. Francis was CD’ …
- … Howard Darwin in Algiers on 4 February 1879 ( Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242)). Francis’s …
- … see letter to John Tyndall, 14 February 1879 and n. 1. Thomas Henry Huxley , William …
From Francis Darwin [c. 25 February 1879]
Summary
Directs CD where to find tools in his room. Has been looking at agave and aloe flowers. Thanks family for their letters.
Author: | Francis Darwin |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | [c. 25 Feb 1879] |
Classmark: | DAR 274.1: 60 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11883F |
Matches: 6 hits
- … From Francis Darwin [ c. 25 February 1879] …
- … 274.1: 60 Francis Darwin Colonne Voirol, Algiers [ c. 25 Feb 1879] Charles Robert Darwin …
- … Francis Darwin, [before 25 February 1879] and n. 2. CD’s gardener was Henry Lettington . …
- … to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 3 February 1879 and n. 4. ‘Rosettes’ are circular arrangements of …
- … books (Down House MS) dated 25 February 1879 records a payment of £5 5 s. Elizabeth …
- … to Francis Darwin, [4 February – 8 March 1879] and n. 4. The Jardin d’acclimatation ( …
From Francis Darwin 3 March [1879]
Summary
Astonished at circular and will risk revolutions to invest. Describes Blidah, Algeria.
Author: | Francis Darwin |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 3 Mar [1879] |
Classmark: | DAR 274.1: 59 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11913F |
Matches: 9 hits
- … From Francis Darwin 3 March [1879] …
- … DAR 274.1: 59 Francis Darwin Blidah 3 Mar [1879] Charles Robert Darwin …
- … between this letter and the letter to the Darwin children, 21 February 1879 . See …
- … letter to the Darwin children, 21 February 1879 . CD advised investing in safe securities …
- … George in Algeria, having left Down on 4 February 1879 ( Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242)). …
- … He arrived back at Down on 12 March 1879, departing from Algiers on 8 March ( letter from …
- … G. H. Darwin, 3 March 1879 ; letter from Emma Darwin to W. …
- … E. Darwin, [12 March 1879] (DAR 219.1: 130)). By Francis’s calculation of …
- … would have sailed to Algiers on 7 February 1879. Blidah (now Blida) is an Algerian city, …
From Francis Darwin to J. D. Hooker 17 March 1879
Summary
Frank decides to accept Cambridge nomination for examiner; thanks JDH and Thiselton-Dyer for their encouragement.
Author: | Francis Darwin |
Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
Date: | 17 Mar 1879 |
Classmark: | DAR 95: 483–4 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11941 |
To Francis Darwin [before 29 May 1879]
Summary
Try to find and read [a German] account of the fir-trees affected by some fungus which produces upright shoots. CD wants to know whether the case is same as what he has observed in the silver fir. Includes diagram.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Francis Darwin |
Date: | [before 29 May 1879] |
Classmark: | DAR 271.4: 13 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-12074B |
From Francis Darwin 29 May 1879
Summary
Fungus is an Aecidium. Porliera, Anthuriums and Aroids will hopefully sprout if weather gets hot. Sachs has changed his ideas about the cause of heliotropism. Describes men he is sharing a lab with.
Author: | Francis Darwin |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 29 May 1879 |
Classmark: | DAR 274.1: 54 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-12067F |
Matches: 6 hits
- … From Francis Darwin 29 May 1879 …
- … DAR 274.1: 54 Francis Darwin Würzburg 29 May 1879 Charles Robert Darwin …
- … mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Classe 39 (1879) pt. 1: 143–209; 42 (1880) pt. 1: 1– …
- … See letter to Francis Darwin, [before 29 May 1879] . Ernst Stahl had been an assistant of …
- … as CD noted in his reply of 2 June [1879] . CD had recently begun to study the effects of …
- … the letter from Hugo de Vries, 24 February 1879 , n. 3. Wilhelm Hofmeister and Frank had …
To Francis Darwin [2 June 1879 or earlier]
Summary
Wants FD to find out what sort of man Ernst Krause is.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Francis Darwin |
Date: | [2 June 1879 or earlier] |
Classmark: | DAR 211: 51 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-12076 |
To Francis Darwin 2 June [1879]
Summary
Thanks for FD’s letter describing microscopic work under experienced supervision.
Is glad to hear of C. E. Stahl’s objection to treating plants as mere machines.
Pleased that J. von Sachs has yielded on growth.
Perhaps Stahl will recognise whether the case of the silver fir is the same as that referred to in the German account [see 12074b].
CD has finished the first draft of his essay on Erasmus Darwin’s life and is "heartily sick of the job".
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Francis Darwin |
Date: | 2 June [1879] |
Classmark: | DAR 271.4: 15 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-12078A |
Matches: 11 hits
- … To Francis Darwin 2 June [1879] …
- … DAR 271.4: 15 Charles Robert Darwin Down 2 June [1879] Francis Darwin …
- … by Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1879. Krause, Ernst. 1879a. Erasmus Darwin, der …
- … the relationship between this letter and the letter from Francis Darwin, 29 May 1879 . See …
- … letter from Francis Darwin, 29 May 1879 . Francis had asked Ernst Stahl about Albert …
- … see letter from Francis Darwin, 29 May 1879 and n. 9). In Movement in plants , pp. 571–3, …
- … affected branches of silver fir, dated 22 May 1879, are in DAR 209.5: 225; the branch was …
- … Surrey, where CD visited from 21 to 26 May 1879. Abberdubby was a pet name for Francis’s …
- … see letter from Francis Darwin, 29 May 1879 ). CD had spent several weeks working on a …
- … Darwin ( Krause 1879a ). The translation appeared in November 1879 ( Erasmus Darwin ). …
- … In his letter of [before 29 May 1879] CD had asked Francis to find and read an account of …
From Francis Darwin [after 2 June 1879]
Summary
Geotropism.
Experimenting on Porlieria in damp and dry earth.
Hermann Müller has been ridiculed for teaching children "in the beginning was Carbon".
Will ask about Ernst Krause.
Author: | Francis Darwin |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | [after 2 June 1879] |
Classmark: | DAR 209.5: 230–2 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-12075 |
Matches: 9 hits
- … From Francis Darwin [after 2 June 1879] …
- … DAR 209.5: 230–2 Francis Darwin Würzburg [after 2 June 1879] Charles Robert Darwin …
- … and the letter to Francis Darwin, 2 June [1879] . CD had sent Francis a twig of Abies …
- … see letter to Francis Darwin, 2 June [1879] ). Ernst Stahl , an assistant of Julius Sachs …
- … by Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1879. Frank, Albert Bernhard. 1870. Die natürliche …
- … own and Müller’s defence (see letter from Hermann Müller, 14 February 1879 and n. 3). On …
- … see letter from Francis Darwin, 29 May 1879 and n. 3. In 1878, Francis had noted changes …
- … 3). See letter to Francis Darwin, 2 June [1879] . CD had spent several weeks working on a …
- … The translation appeared in November 1879 ( Erasmus Darwin ). Jimmy was a nickname for …
To Francis Darwin 3 June [1879]
Summary
Asks whether canary grass and oats have chlorophyll in their cotyledons.
Has been working hard at circumnutation of leaves to see whether sleep movements are exaggerated circumnutation.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Francis Darwin |
Date: | 3 June [1879] |
Classmark: | DAR 211: 25 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11541 |
Matches: 6 hits
- … To Francis Darwin 3 June [1879] …
- … DAR 211: 25 Charles Robert Darwin Down 3 June [1879] Francis Darwin …
- … July [1878] . No later article on CD by Lubbock has been found; she died in October 1879. …
- … See letter from Francis Darwin, 29 May 1879 . Francis was working in Julius Sachs’s …
- … see letter from Francis Darwin, 29 May 1879 ). CD was trying to establish whether the …
- … National Archives, FS1/232), which in 1879 was 3 June. The photographer has not been …
To Francis Darwin [before 5 June 1879]
Summary
Believes that he will prove that the tip of radicle is the brain as far as geotropism is concerned.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Francis Darwin |
Date: | [before 5 June 1879] |
Classmark: | DAR 211: 53 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-12084 |
To Francis Darwin 6 and 7 June [1879]
Summary
Describes his experiments investigating the geotropic responses of radicles.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Francis Darwin |
Date: | 6 and 7 June 1879 |
Classmark: | DAR 211: 54 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-12091 |
Matches: 6 hits
- … To Francis Darwin 6 and 7 June [1879] …
- … DAR 211: 54 Charles Robert Darwin Down 6 June [1879] 7 …
- … June [1879] Francis Darwin …
- … applying caustic to peas, dated from 8 June 1879, are in DAR 209.5: 143. White mustard is …
- … 29 December 1878 (DAR 209.5: 118). See letter from Francis Darwin, [after 2 June 1879]) . …
- … experiments using caustic were performed in 1879; CD’s notes on the application of caustic …
To Francis Darwin 16 June [1879]
Summary
Has given his reasons for believing that twisting of stem is related to circumnutation in Climbing plants.
Tells results of experiments on movement of cotyledons and radicles.
Is getting aerial heliotropic roots from Kew.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Francis Darwin |
Date: | 16 June [1879] |
Classmark: | DAR 211: 55 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-12111 |
Matches: 9 hits
- … To Francis Darwin 16 June [1879] …
- … DAR 211: 55 Charles Robert Darwin Down 16 June [1879] Francis Darwin …
- … CD’s notes, dated between 11 and 17 June 1879, describing his experiments cauterising the …
- … Richmond (see letter to John Fiske, 10 June 1879 , n. 2). Abbadubba was a pet name for …
- … has been found, but in his letter of 29 May 1879 , Francis mentioned that the condition of …
- … see the letter from Francis Darwin, 29 May 1879 , n. 3. CD was evidently considering using …
- … with aerial roots from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, on 17 June 1879 (see letter to W. …
- … T. Thiselton-Dyer, 5 June 1879 and n. 2). CD summarised his views on sleep in cotyledons ( …
- … Phaseolus and Vicia ), dated between 4 May 1879 and 26 March 1880, are in DAR 209.6: 14– …
From Francis Darwin [after 16 June 1879]
Summary
Reports on roots and climbing plants experiments he is performing in Sachs’ laboratory. Orchids with air roots have come. Goebel says proshelic better than helic.
Author: | Francis Darwin |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | [after 16 June 1879] |
Classmark: | DAR 274.1: 53 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-12111F |
Matches: 13 hits
- … From Francis Darwin [after 16 June 1879] …
- … DAR 274.1: 53 Francis Darwin Würzburg [after 16 June 1879] Charles Robert Darwin …
- … pp. 178–83). Elizabeth Darwin had written to Francis around 16 June 1879 (see letter to …
- … Francis Darwin, 16 June [1879] and n. 5). Francis probably got a Finnish stamp from …
- … a botanist in Sachs’s laboratory (see letter to Francis Darwin, 16 June [1879] and n. 4). …
- … relationship between this letter and the letter to Francis Darwin, 16 June [1879] . See …
- … letter to Francis Darwin, 16 June [1879] and n. 8. Francis was working in the laboratory …
- … to Francis (see letter to Francis Darwin, [before 5 June 1879] and nn. 2 and 3). Francis …
- … mustard ( Sinapis alba ; see also letter to Francis Darwin, 6 and 7 June [1879] and n. 5). …
- … See letter to Francis Darwin, 16 June [1879] and n. 2. For CD’s description of the …
- … the letter to Francis Darwin, 16 June [1879] , in which CD mentions Bernard’s head being …
- … had travelled to Switzerland with Elizabeth Darwin on 17 June 1879; they returned to …
- … Down on 18 July 1879 ( Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242)). Francis had evidently ordered …
To Francis Darwin 24 June [1879]
Summary
Movement in plants: Philodendron and Dendrobium.
Will go to London on Thursday to receive Baly Medal. Laura Forster has offered them her house in London.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Francis Darwin |
Date: | 24 June [1879] |
Classmark: | DAR 271.4: 14 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-12117A |
Matches: 9 hits
- … To Francis Darwin 24 June [1879] …
- … DAR 271.4: 14 Charles Robert Darwin Down 24 June [1879] Francis Darwin …
- … Read 8 April 1878. ] Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy 26 (1879): 491–510. …
- … other plants with aerial roots (see letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 5 June 1879 and n. 2). …
- … morning-glory; CD’s notes, dated 17 June 1879, on the movement toward and away from light …
- … with the Darwins recently (see letter from Francis Darwin, [after 16 June 1879] and n. 6). …
- … 209.7: 59–62. CD’s notes, dated 20 June 1879, on the application of caustic to radicles of …
- … P. Wright 1878 ) appeared in the Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society 2 (1879): 934. …
- … On 26 June 1879, CD was presented with the Baly medal, a biennial award in physiology, on …
To Francis Darwin [after 24 June 1879]
Summary
Movement of radicles.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Francis Darwin |
Date: | [after 24 June 1879] |
Classmark: | DAR 211: 57 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-12121 |
letter | (37) |
Darwin, C. R. | (22) |
Darwin, Francis | (14) |
Krause, Ernst | (1) |
Darwin, Francis | (23) |
Darwin, C. R. | (10) |
Krause, Ernst | (2) |
Darwin, Elizabeth | (1) |
Darwin, Emma | (1) |
Darwin, Francis | |
Darwin, C. R. | (32) |
Krause, Ernst | (3) |
Darwin, Elizabeth | (1) |
Darwin, Emma | (1) |
Darwin, G. H. | (1) |
Darwin, H. E. | (1) |
Darwin, Horace | (1) |
Darwin, Leonard | (1) |
Darwin, W. E. | (1) |
Hooker, J. D. | (1) |
Litchfield, H. E. | (1) |
Wedgwood, Emma | (1) |

Darwin in letters, 1879: Tracing roots
Summary
Darwin spent a considerable part of 1879 in the eighteenth century. His journey back in time started when he decided to publish a biographical account of his grandfather Erasmus Darwin to accompany a translation of an essay on Erasmus’s evolutionary ideas…
Matches: 29 hits
- … There are summaries of all Darwin's letters from the year 1879 on this website. The full texts …
- … Press . Darwin spent a considerable part of 1879 in the eighteenth century. His journey back …
- … was ‘dry as dust’ ( letter to R. F. Cooke, 9 September 1879 ). He was also unsatisfied with his …
- … me much’ ( letter to Francis Galton, 15 [June 1879] ). Even the prospect of a holiday in the Lake …
- … ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, [after 26] July [1879] ). From July, Darwin had an additional …
- … ‘a dismal time’ ( letter to Henry Johnson, 24 September 1879 ). He may have been consoled to learn …
- … pear’ ( enclosure in letter from R. W. Dixon, 20 December 1879 ). The year ended with the start of …
- … or gone some other way round?’ At least the last letter of 1879 contained a warmer note and the …
- … marriage settlement ( letter from W. M. Hacon, 31 December 1879 ). Seventy years old …
- … could be’ ( letter from Karl Beger, [ c. 12 February 1879] ). The masters of Greiz College …
- … with glory’ ( letter from Ernst Haeckel, 9 February 1879 ). The botanist and schoolteacher …
- … was carbon’ ( letter from Hermann Müller, 14 February 1879 ). Carus Sterne was the …
- … ( letter from Francis Darwin, [after 2 June 1879 ]). As one of Darwin’s most ardent admirers, …
- … he pointed out ( letter from E. A. Darwin, 13 March [1879 ]). Meanwhile, Darwin began searching …
- … my grandfathers life’ ( letter to Ernst Krause, 14 March 1879 ). While searching for Seward …
- … time Darwin came to investigate his grandfather’s life in 1879, however, not only was Erasmus Darwin …
- … where, & the who—’ ( letter from V. H. Darwin, 28 May [1879] ). On the Galton side of the …
- … in every way’ ( letter from E. A. Wheler, 25 March 1879 ). She suggested that Darwin contact their …
- … with pride’ ( letter from Reginald Darwin, 29 March 1879 ). It was from Reginald that …
- … with each other’ ( letter to Ernst Krause, 27 March 1879 ). Darwin’s aim was ‘to give some sort of …
- … indispensable’ ( letter from Ernst Krause, 7 June 1879 ). Darwin welcomed Krause’s suggestion, but …
- … He hates scientific men’ ( letter to Ernst Krause, 14 May 1879 ). From the start of his …
- … to the public’ ( letter to Reginald Darwin, 10 April [1879] ). However, even members of Darwin’s …
- … with little fatigue’ ( letter to G. H. Darwin, 12 July 1879 , and letter from Leonard Darwin, …
- … life of D r . D’ ( letter to Francis Darwin, 12 July [1879] ). It was little consolation that …
- … his ‘tether’ ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 5 June 1879 , and letter to G. H. Darwin, 12 July …
- … of his ‘proper work’ ( letter to James Paget, 14 July 1879 ). At this time, his proper work was …
- … they intended to publish their results as a book. By June 1879, Darwin was completing an …
- … roots of seedlings ( letter to Francis Darwin, 16 June [1879] ). Francis in Würzburg …

1879 Letters now online
Summary
In 1879, Darwin continued his research on movement in plants and researched, wrote, and published a short biography of his grandfather Erasmus Darwin as an introduction to a translation of an essay by Ernst Krause on Erasmus’s scientific work. Darwin’s son…
Matches: 8 hits
- … In 1879, Darwin continued his research on movement in plants and researched, …
- … of over 640 letters written to and from Darwin in 1879 are now online. Read more about Darwin& …
- … such a job. ( Letter to J. D. Hooker, 1 December [1879] ) In early 1879, as a tribute …
- … . ( Letter to the Darwin children, 21 February 1879 ) Just over a week after his …
- … irritations ( Letter t o Francis Darwin, 2 July [1879] ) Darwin regarded his …
- … the country . ( Letter to T. H. Farrer, 23 October 1879 ) During the year Darwin …
- … of the theory of natural selection. Nothing came of it in 1879, but it was to bear fruit later. He …
- … strong health . ( Letter to T. H. Farrer, 13 October 1879 ) Darwin wrote this to his …

Diagrams and drawings in letters
Summary
Over 850 illustrations from the printed volumes of The Correspondence of Charles Darwin have been added to the online transcripts of the letters. The contents include maps, diagrams, drawings, sketches and photographs, covering geological, botanical,…
Matches: 1 hits
- … map of the sandhills in central Sweden, 16 February 1879 C. W. Hamilton's …

Darwin in letters, 1880: Sensitivity and worms
Summary
‘My heart & soul care for worms & nothing else in this world,’ Darwin wrote to his old Shrewsbury friend Henry Johnson on 14 November 1880. Darwin became fully devoted to earthworms in the spring of the year, just after finishing the manuscript of…
Matches: 8 hits
- … book, Erasmus Darwin , had been published in November 1879. It was received well by his relations …
- … he had written for the German journal Kosmos in February 1879, an issue produced in honour of …
- … Butler, Evolution old and new , which had appeared in May 1879. Krause wanted to correct Butler’s …
- … Correspondence vol. 27, letter from Ernst Krause, 7 June 1879 , and letter to Ernst Krause, 9 …
- … Darwin stated that Krause’s piece had been written in 1879 (before Evolution old and new was …
- … had raised the plant from seeds sent by Asa Gray in December 1879. His observations differed, …
- … by Gray in an article and textbook (A. Gray 1877 and A. Gray 1879, pp. 20–1). ‘I think you cannot …
- … vol. 27, letter from J. D. Hooker, 18 December 1879 ). For some years, Wallace’s main source of …

Movement in Plants
Summary
The power of movement in plants, published on 7 November 1880, was the final large botanical work that Darwin wrote. It was the only work in which the assistance of one of his children, Francis Darwin, is mentioned on the title page. The research for this…
Matches: 12 hits
- … Francis worked in this laboratory in the summers of 1878 and 1879, he encountered some of the most …
- … couple of days ( letter from A. F. Batalin, 28 February 1879 ). Darwin was especially keen for his …
- … so much at odds ( letter to Hugo de Vries 13 February 1879 ). He was reassured by De Vries, who …
- … When Francis spent a month in Algiers in early 1879, Darwin asked him to visit the botanist Gaetano …
- … seeds ( letter to Francis Darwin, [4 February – 8 March 1879] ). He continued to write up the …
- … ’. The lull in experimental work continued into March 1879, and Darwin seemed weary when he told …
- … the subject of bloom from his book. In mid-June 1879, Darwin was pleased to get back to …
- … and growth ( letter from Hugo de Vries, 7 August 1879 ). Darwin replied, ‘ I thank you much for …
- … the Spring ’. Luckily, De Vries published two papers in 1879 and 1880 that Darwin was later able to …
- … ‘A horrid bore’ In late October 1879, Darwin told Gray, ‘ I have written a rather big …
- … bodies’ ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 29 October 1879 ). Thiselton-Dyer, who had assisted in …
- … earlier ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 20 November 1879 ). Hooker offered to write to Egypt for …
Darwin’s student booklist
Summary
In October 1825 Charles Darwin and his older brother, Erasmus, went to study medicine in Edinburgh, where their father, Robert Waring Darwin, had trained as a doctor in the 1780’s. Erasmus had already graduated from Cambridge and was continuing his studies…
Matches: 1 hits
- … it was first published in 1804. On rereading this work in 1879 Darwin judged it ‘a wretched …
1.14 William Richmond, oil
Summary
< Back to Introduction William Blake Richmond’s portrait of Darwin, dating from 1879, celebrated his honorary degree of LL.D (Doctor in Laws), awarded by Cambridge University in 1877. Darwin’s return to his alma mater for the presentation ceremony…
Matches: 4 hits
- … William Blake Richmond’s portrait of Darwin, dating from 1879, celebrated his honorary degree of LL …
- … Oxford in this same year. In a letter of 18 June 1879, Darwin told Thiselton-Dyer (Hooker’s …
- … William Blake Richmond date of creation 1879-80 computer-readable date 1879 …
- … in DAR 215.31b. Letters from Darwin to John Fiske, 10 June 1879 (DCP-LETT-12098) and to Thiselton …

Life of Erasmus Darwin
Summary
The Life of Erasmus Darwin (1879) was a curious departure for Darwin. It was intended as a biographical note to accompany an essay on Erasmus's scientific work by the German writer Ernst Krause. But Darwin became immersed in his grandfather's…
Matches: 5 hits
- … The Life of Erasmus Darwin (1879) was a curious departure for Darwin. It was intended as a …
- … the book into grist for controversy. In February 1879, Darwin received an unusual birthday …
- … my grandfathers life ', Darwin wrote to Krause on 14 March 1879. He made contact with family …
- … my tether '. The book was published in November of 1879. Darwin filled his notice with …
- … whose Evolution Old and New had been published in May of 1879, had not failed to find the …

Power of movement in plants
Summary
Sources|Discussion Questions|Experiment Family experiments Darwin was an active and engaged father during his children's youth, involving them in his experiments and even occasionally using them as observational subjects. When his children…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Letter 12152 - Francis Darwin to Darwin, 12 July 1879 Francis writes to his father …

Fake Darwin: myths and misconceptions
Summary
Many myths have persisted about Darwin's life and work. Here are a few of the more pervasive ones, with full debunking below...
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- … Many myths have persisted about Darwin's life and work. Here are a few of the more pervasive ones, …
People featured in the Dutch photograph album
Summary
Here is a list of people that appeared in the photograph album Darwin received for his birthday on 12 February 1877 from scientific admirers in the Netherlands. Many thanks to Hester Loeff for identifying and researching them. No. …
People featured in the Dutch photograph album
Summary
List of people appearing in the photograph album Darwin received from scientific admirers in the Netherlands for his birthday on 12 February 1877. We are grateful to Hester Loeff for providing this list and for permission to make her research available.…
3.18 Elliott and Fry photos, c.1869-1871
Summary
< Back to Introduction The leading photographic firm of Elliott and Fry seems to have portrayed Darwin at Down House on several occasions. In November 1869 Darwin told A. B. Meyer, who wanted photographs of both him and Wallace for a German…
Religion
Summary
Design|Personal Belief|Beauty|The Church Perhaps the most notorious realm of controversy over evolution in Darwin's day was religion. The same can be said of the evolution controversy today; however the nature of the disputes and the manner in…
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- … Letter 12041 — Darwin, C. R. to Fordyce, John, 7 May 1879 In this letter marked “private”, …
3.16 Oscar Rejlander, photos
Summary
< Back to Introduction Darwin’s plans for the illustration of his book The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872) led him to the Swedish-born painter and photographer, Oscar Gustaf Rejlander. Rejlander gave Darwin the notes that he had…
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- … Litchfield to a family servant as her leaving present in 1879. Henry Eeles Dresser’s album of …
3.14 Julia Margaret Cameron, photos
Summary
< Back to Introduction In the summer of 1868 Darwin took a holiday on the Isle of Wight with his immediate family, his brother Erasmus, and his friend Joseph Hooker. The family’s accommodation at Freshwater was rented from the photographer Julia…
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- … in his journal after an encounter with the great man in 1879, ‘his features are not good’; yet ‘his …
4.24 'Daily Graphic', Nast satire
Summary
< Back to Introduction In 1874 the Harvard philosopher John Fiske published his magnum opus, Outlines of Cosmic Philosophy, in which he set out to explain the far-reaching significance of Darwin’s and Herbert Spencer’s evolutionary theories. He…
Suggested reading
Summary
Contemporary writing Anon., The English matron: A practical manual for young wives, (London, 1846). Anon., The English gentlewoman: A practical manual for young ladies on their entrance to society, (Third edition, London, 1846). Becker, L. E.…
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- … Buckley, A., The fairy-land of science , (London, 1879; Philadelphia 1888). Holmes, M. …
1.12 Marian Huxley, drawing
Summary
< Back to Introduction Portrayals of Darwin by women in his social circle cannot be lumped together as the products of adoring amateurs. In 1878 he was sketched by Marian (‘Mady’) Huxley, who was then only in her late teens, but already a trained and…
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- … her early teens (she won several prizes there); nor that in 1879 she had parental blessing for her …
Dramatisation script
Summary
Re: Design – Adaptation of the Correspondence of Charles Darwin, Asa Gray and others… by Craig Baxter – as performed 25 March 2007
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- … 1872 208 JD HOOKER TO C DARWIN, 29 NOVEMBER 1879 209 A GRAY, 1882, …